TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (BP) — Police have apprehended a suspect after a shooting on the campus of Florida State University (FSU) that resulted in one fatality and sent five others to the hospital.
Notice of an active shooter in the area of the Student Union went out at 12:02 p.m. today via the FSU Alert system. Recipients were encouraged to lock and stay away from all doors and windows and to “be prepared to take additional protective measures.” All classes and university events have been canceled and those not already on campus were encouraged to stay away.
Multiple law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, responded to the campus. A training exercise for the Tallahassee Police Department about 2 miles away had just begun at the time of the alert.
Initial reports were of no fatalities and six sent to the hospital. Around 1:25 p.m., NBC News reported one fatality but did not clarify if the deceased was one of those sent to the hospital.
Florida Baptist Convention Executive Director-Treasurer Stephen Rummage told a reporter for Florida Baptists he and others are “heartbroken over this senseless act of violence” and asked others to join in prayer for those impacted.
“In the coming days, we will be working alongside Baptist Campus Ministries as well as churches near the Florida State University campus,” he said in a report at flbaptist.org. “The Florida Baptist Convention will stand together with Baptist Campus Ministries and these churches as beacons of light in the darkness of this violence, offering prayerful and personal support to the families affected by this horrific experience.”
Standing on the FSU campus today less than an hour after the shooting, City Church Pastor Dean Inserra posted a video showing where students left their belongings as they fled.
Inserra thanked those who had been praying and urged them to continue to do so.
“We want to make sure that we shine bright during this tough moment in our city … especially with Easter week coming upon us,” Inserra said. “What an appropriate time more than ever for us to believe Jesus is alive and He wanted to make all things new.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.)
